The Danish Government and Dansk Folkeparti have reached an agreement on the media policy for the period 2019-2023. Some of the key points are presented below.
Less money for DR – and more streamlined content
The funding for DR, Denmark’s main public service broadcaster, is to be cut by 20 per cent over the five-year period, and the licence fee will be replaced by tax financing. DR must reduce its number of flow-TV channels from six to four, and focus on news, information, culture, education and content for children and young people. (New contract in September, see below.)
New radio and TV channels
A new TV channel focusing on culture and information and a new digital radio channel focusing on culture and classical music will be established. Both channels are to be funded by grants and advertising, and both are to be located somewhere other than Copenhagen (in Funen or Jutland).
By the end of October 2019, the concession for Radio24Syv, Denmark’s privately owned public service channel, will expire. A renewal of the concession includes reduced allocations together with a demand to locate the channel’s headquarters somewhere other than Copenhagen (Jutland).
More money to the public service fund
The public service fund, which allocates financing to public service production outside DR, will be increased. The money is to be used for the production of audiovisual content regardless of platform (but not text-only).
Increased support to news media
Other points of the agreement aim to strengthen digital as well as local and regional news media. The plan is that digital news media in the future will be VAT-exempt – bringing it into line with printed newspapers – but as this does not comply with current EU regulations, the digital media will receive other financial support. There will also be increased money to local and regional news media via an earmarked fund.
No closedown of the FM radio networks
Other parts of the government’s proposal did not make it through the negotiations, one of them being the suggestion to close down the FM network already in 2021. This means that the FM network can be shut down at the earliest two years after digital listening reaches 50 per cent. Neither will the state-owned TV2 be sold, even if the agreement opens for partial privatization in the future.
Eva Harrie